On the Internet, social networks allow users to connect to and share information with each other. Many social networks include a content sharing aspect that allows users to upload, view, and share content, such as video content, image content, audio content, and so on. Other users of the social network may comment on the shared content, discover new content, locate updates, share content, and otherwise interact with the provided content. The shared content may include content from professional content creators, e.g., movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as content from amateur content creators, e.g., video blogging and short original videos.
To create content, users often use, or would like to user, third-party content item elements, such as music clips, video clips, still shots, and effects, to name a few examples. These content item elements can be difficult to access, locked away, or not produced yet. In addition, the content creators need to secure rights for the third-party content item elements, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming. Furthermore, the content creators often have to pay for use of the content item elements, meaning there is an upfront investment and separate payment process involved in utilizing the third-party content item elements, which can lead to a pricing challenge for the content creator. Similarly, the content item element provider (e.g., the element owner) may have difficulty tracking where his or her elements end up and other analytics associated with the use of the element. These problems can lead to market inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and lack of access to and use of available content item elements.